Mention two uses of Air

Introduction

Air is a protective layer on the atmosphere. Oxygen is one of the main components of the air that every living organism intakes and it also protects the whole planet from dangerous UV rays of the sun. Air is not made up of one element; it is a blend of several gasses and water vapour. Pure air does not have any kind of colour or smell.

What is Air?

Air is a property of nature available lavishly and helps to sustain life. Without it, no life can endure for a fraction of the time. It stays in the atmosphere that consists of various gases such as, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide in large quantities along with argon, water vapour, and, other gasses in very little quantities. Bacteria, spores, and suspended dust are also found in air. It is an invisible form of component that flows freely. No one can see this but can feel it. It takes up empty spaces, having weight and it is compressible.

Air: Composition

Figure 1: Composition of Air

Air is a blend of different gasses that creates the atmosphere of the earth. It is mainly made up of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other gases along with water vapour. The content of moisture is different in different places. Wetlands have more moisture content than arid regions.

• The content of vapour of water in air varies according to place. The moisture capacity of air relies on the temperature of the air.

• The air composition is not changed untill the altitude of roughly 10,000 m.

• The average temperature of air decreases at a rate of 0.6°C for every 100 m vertical height.

• One Standard amosphere refers to the pressure is signifies by the air is 760 mm column of mercury at 0°C of sea level and at standard gravity (32.174 ft/sec²).

Air: Properties

Some properties of air are given below −

• Odourless and Colourless: Normally air has no odour and colour. It is totally invisible that only can be felt. Every living organism breathes in air. The wind is referred to as the moving air.

• Occupation of Space: Air is a blend of various gases. These also fill up areas like other matters. A balloon enlarges because the air is blown into it and covers the bare spaces.

• Pressure exerts by Air: Air pressure is defined as the pressure applied by the weight of air. The blend of gases is denser and close to the surface than at higher altitudes due to gravity.

• Expansion: Air expands and covers more area after heating and it becomes thinner. Therefore, the pressure of the cold wind is lower than the warm wind.

Air: Uses

Air has many important uses for every living being on the earth such as −

Sustain Life and Growth

Oxygen is one of the main components of air. It is crucial for life sustenance on the planet as every plant and living organism depends on oxygen. It is distributed by the blood to every cell in the living organisms. Cells of the plant use carbon dioxide in the air for food production.

Pollination

Pollination refers to the procedure where pollen of male flower came in contact with a female flower. Air is used for the transportation of this pollen particle, without air, the flower could not be able to bloom and fruits could not be manufactured naturally.

Breezes of Sea and Land

The land surface, during extreme heat conditions turns hotter compared to surfaces of sea. The hot air above the land moves upward constantly and this empty area is filled by cool air comes from the surface of sea.

This transformation continuous the movement of air in the cycle which is very important to control the temperature over land.

Figure 2: Usage of air

Monsoon

Monsoon has crucial importance as that provides irrigation which helps in crop production. Air carries on a crucial role in the movement of the cloud which is responsible for the monsoon.

Combustion

Combustion is defined as a chemical reaction between fuel and oxygen in the air accompanied by heat energy production. In simple words, it is familiar as burning that is similar to photosynthesis.

Wind power Energy

The best origin of wind energy is air. Nowadays the use of wind turbines is increasing to create electricity. Turbines spin with wind flow that creates electricity.

Conclusion

Air is a very essential element for every life on the planet. It is a mixture of different kinds of gasses like, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and more on. It cannot be seen but can be felt because it has no smell or colour. Every empty area is occupied with air; there is no place filled without it. It expands more after the application of heat and becomes less dense. This is the reason behind the decrease in air pressure.

FAQs

Q1. What is UV ray?

Ans. Uv ray is the short form of ultraviolet ray refers to a wavelength in-between 10 to 400 nm. This wavelength is smaller than visible light but larger than X-ray in electromagnetic radiation series. This ray is naturally found in sunlight and 10% of the sunlight is containing UV rays.

Q2. What is X-Ray?

Ans. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation and most of its wavelength range is around 0.01 to 10 nm. It corresponds to the frequencies of 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies are 100 eV to 100 keV.

Q3. Does sound travel faster in space?

Ans. Sounds cannot travel in space at all. The outer space is empty with zero volume of air. Basically, sounds vibrate the air to move forward but space does not have any air to vibrate therefore sounds cannot move from one place to another. Similarly, asteroids crashing, supernovas, and burning planets would be completely silent in space.